This SIMPLE Creek Water Feature DIY - How to Build a natural looking Stream!

[@travisjantzer]

If this project interested you go check out this bigger and better one! I used all the same concepts from this video with a little extra detail :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/oaSXaaGtbd1jhLc

[@SILVERBILL]

Thank you

[@tonysanchez8288]

A bunch of these vids have a buried reciprocal basin that sends the water back up to the top. I haven’t seen any of that in ur vids. How does the water go back from the bottom to the top of ur fountains?

[@comoelitamelendez8467]

Oh, so I see you have a long connector(hose) that the water is pumping through to get to the top. and then you hide behind the landscape! GENIUS! I was like wondering, like, "whoa, that's a strong little pump!" at first. Awesome! We are wanting to add water features around our house for our Autistic son and he would just love this! Thank you so much! :)

[@galleta_2024]

You are all adorable and great energy. I'm in my 8th decade and am getting one done in front yard. Labor intensive and incredibly creative. I took notes so that when mine is done, I will definitely pay attention to the edges and sloping. It will be a dry creek, but will make sure the gutter downspout is directed to meet the start of the creek so when it rains, it will actually be useful instead of pooling on my pavers. Best wishes to you all.

[@seymourskinner2533]

I’d like to see more on the mechanics. Connecting the water, pump etc

[@travisjantzer]

I plan on making that video.. haven't got around to it yet.. soon hopefully!

[@bellaf6206]

Me too

[@pteifert]

@@travisjantzer meanwhile, I’ll start digging

[@foodiesworldUSA]

@@travisjantzer yeah please post a detail video on which pimp to buy and how to attach suction pump because I’m not sure how the water flows and so mechanics because I’m a first time home buyer and want curb appeal

[@ursixx]

Nice one ! The local birds will like it too.

[@travisjantzer]

They already do! We’ve gotten a lot of nice birds back since my wife and I started planting flowers and putting in water features :) the first night after I put the creek in this beautiful Dove took a bath in it.

[@TexasGovernor]

Brother, thank you for this. This brought me joy and saved me thousands.

[@DjJtown]

Simple is where it's at. The way you've shown can add so much to a garden because it's not overly complicated or takes up too much room & it can be incorporated with other designs easily. I can imagine the additional curb appeal this has added to your home since it's in front of the house.

[@travisjantzer]

Definitely! I'm glad you like it. Ive since replaced it with another bigger one. Even more curb appeal :)

[@Jimmyandtony]

I know it’s a little late, but I’m definitely going to try and do this. My only question is about the pump setup. So there is one pump in the pond at the bottom that runs the water back to the top? Thanks @@travisjantzer

[@diannewilliams8742]

I'm trying to build a very small waterfall stream on the side of this small slope and your video is exactly perfect for what I needed

[@misskim2058]

I was just pondering this tonight in my backyard and wasn’t even looking at yard videos, I wasn’t even talking out loud for the phone to overhear and suggest the video, didn’t even have it near me, it was charging... I’ve been trying to decide whether to make a wall fountain, independent yard fountain, or a stream, and the lines of the area would just be better to have a little stream, but I also want it quick and easy as you said, just a simple meandering run of water, and boom! There’s your video. No need to scour any more minutes, let alone hours of other videos, this is exactly what I was wanting to do. And I like your easy idea for creating the natural fluctuations of a riverbed. I’ve got some smooth logs I can just put underneath the liner to create those little variations... and the yard happens to slope in that spot already. What a plus! Always preferable to work with the natural terrain. And by the way, you have such a cute family, it’s just great to see a kid still happily drinking from the good old garden hose, enjoying yard time with mom and dad, and it’s also good to see a handsome guy who includes his very pretty wife and his adorable child front and center in the video, too. Family is so important...

[@travisjantzer]

This is a wonderful comment. I’m really glad you appreciate my video and I agree with you; family is very important! If you’re looking to tackle this project be sure to check out my channel, I have several water feature videos including a larger more in depth creek build that might be helpful :)

[@crackula234]

So I watched this video, and started making my creek and it turned out waaay harder than it looks. After watching like 50 videos, this is still my go-to video.

[@Matt-dj3zh]

You're really good at these. Make water features your thing!

[@travisjantzer]

Thanks! I’ve already started on a big one behind my parents house so I’m gonna have more videos for sure :)

[@ilovehorses5714]

Water feature design and installations 👍

[@ilovehorses5714]

My classmate does that for a living. I took horticulture in college and he had a nursery with another classmate. I interned there. We even sold tad poles.

[@bradleyzanteson2571]

This is absolutely amazing! Honestly, this is the best home made water feature I’ve seen on KZbin. Keep it up!

[@spencerm293]

That's a great project. I Like how it looks like a naturally formed stream.

[@wgcjtc5591]

I've watched a few of your vids; I appreciate your tutorials. I am in the planning stages of putting in a Japanese Zen garden for my many bonsai and these ideas are on point. Future video in the process. Thank you for sharing.

[@JackSmith-fm2sz]

I like the idea of using boards under liner to create ripples. I’ll try that

[@jyeellis1130]

I like the idea with the well barrow

[@PiedmontProgressivePresc-ig1vr]

We created a creek on our playground for the children to play. It is fantastic especially at the beginning of each year when we redo it! The children of course move all the river rocks around. Wonderful play takes place within our creek. I feel like I cannot use a pump because the mud and sand that make would destroy the pump. We just use a hose and waste water. Any suggestions?

[@occithecat9629]

This is great, with really important things to think about, love the way you used the wheelbarrow. Thanks

[@EricSchneider-k2g]

What do u use as the water holder where the pump goes? Bucket? How big? Thank you

[@Alainjaelani]

How peaceful your creek looks.

[@bellaf6206]

We’re about to do this in our back yard. You make it look easy. We will see. 🤞

[@travisjantzer]

Good luck! Send me a picture on instagram @travis.jantzer . I would love to see what you come up with.

[@superiorgas294]

Amazing job bro. I hope u are doing this for a living now. I'm inspired.

[@travisjantzer]

I'm not. I'm a mechanic. But i'm really enjoying making these projects for videos. I got to fly to SoCal to build one for a Subscriber this spring!

[@tomwells3217]

Started converting my 1500-2000 gallon stream and pond to a pondless water feature and decided to use existing catchall box that pumps up to the top of the stream that had a ten gallon reservoir that dumps into existing stream 20 feet down to where the 5 foot deep pond is that I am only channeling a stream to the recovery box. My question is do you have to have a place for the excess rain to go and how do you deal with keeping the pond at the proper level to keep plant life alive when gone for long vacations.

[@michaelromero7219]

I would like to see more info about the pump equipment and cost.

[@timffoster]

This is an excellent way to start. I'm curious as to how it's holding up over time. Looking forward to the update videos.

[@travisjantzer]

I made a cleaning video for it this year. It held up over the winter but I got bored of it so I’ve completely redone it. Bigger and better. Video coming soon.

[@martinpye549]

Great job. Watching from the UK. Love the old wheelbarrow idea. Looking to do something similar, and now that wheelbarrow idea is in my head. Mine's a bit different, as I am having to build up over concrete, but the concept is now coming off your idea. Great stuff you two. Thanks.

[@travisjantzer]

thats awesome, i love hearing where my viewers are from. Best of luck on yours! I'm sure it'll look great.

[@IramGalindo-vc3nx]

You should add a rust protection coating to the wheel barrel. Great build!

[@blacksinglemomhomesteadont6454]

It was relatively simple. I'm motivating myself to build one in my backyard. It's the digging I'm dreading. Single mom here. The area I've chosen has lots of tree roots this why I want to put something eye-catching there.

[@asifalikhan9588]

I have water standing by right side of house , will this help? Vs the French drain

[@confunctius]

oh, a subaru forester! subscribed!

[@jimji2774]

Hey your little stream. looks better than some worth $10K nice job. It gives me hope for my own dyi project. Hope it stays working well as I have seen a few abandoned water features that become real eye sores.

[@drglennmarshall416]

We want to know what is the slope we would require to run a 40-foot stream from the waterful at the head of the stream to the pond. Like you we want to have puddles, etc.. we don't want it to run straight to the pond. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks

[@marivel034life]

Cool idea, any clips on the pump/return instal? Thanksl

[@subirkrishnan]

Amazing...Love the wheel barrow concept!

[@travisjantzer]

Thanks! :)

[@Tiffanysfarm]

Is the liner toxic? Does it affect the health of the water and fish?

[@davidschmidt270]

Thanks Travis....this was cool...props on the wheelbarrow waterfall

[@travisjantzer]

thanks, glad you like it.

[@themokuahicoconut8037]

I have watched this like 900 times

[@travisjantzer]

That’s awesome!

[@St.Bax77]

What are you using for your pump and how much does it cost monthly to run?

[@Ndspenceableforlife]

Thanks Travis! Really enjoyed your video. It’s refreshing to see someone with an honest heart. Bless you and your Family

[@travisjantzer]

Thank you!

[@kyles9320]

This is such a great remodel for your yard.

[@SuperSickNerd]

How reliable is the liner ? Can you replace liner with clay and rocks instead ?

[@Artpentry]

Thank you so much for the great video man! You've inspired me to build my own!

[@mrdilligaf1968]

That's awesome and thanks for sharing. Cheers from Australia

[@joedon1706]

Great concise presentation. More to come from you I hope!!

[@teresagrigsby-rose8761]

What kind of pump, how far did u bury the line? What do you do with it in winter time? Im in central IN, gets freezing here. Oh, and did u bury the pump too? Thnx. Luv it

[@samsay9531]

What I am interested in, how you installing the water pump to circulate the water

[@MAD42]

thanx for the video man - good work!

[@JobsBuilt]

You killed it man. Love it

[@travisjantzer]

thank you.

[@jlbf0786]

You guys done an amazing job on this.. and your little one was cute as can be

[@travisjantzer]

Thanks! Isn't she adorable?

[@dannycarney596]

What pump did you use, im from the U.K so need to work out gallons to litres , thanks

[@LakesideQuiltmakingArts]

How many gallons per hour is your pump please?

[@GTBoyblogcom]

I really like the video... its awesome how to make it look so natural yet simple to make. Great job

[@travisjantzer]

Glad you like it!

[@cindycoleman5196]

You are fabulous!!! Thanks for sharing.

[@Flybunker_events]

You have inspired me to create one, and I made it running the the greenhouse. ❤

[@dlynes]

I love your videos. thanks for posting and sharing. what liners and pumps do you recommend using today for features like this one? thank you!

[@dubyabalthazar4598]

I've always wanted a creek in my backyard

[@cookingwithed]

Hello, great vidio. How deep did you dig the deepest part of you pond? Also how big is your pump and the hole you dug for that.

[@travisjantzer]

About 18 inches which is very shallow. I would recommend at least 2 feet deep. This one had an 800 gph pump.

[@JayDeeChannel]

Thank-you. The water is being circulated. Do you need to replenish the water?

[@travisjantzer]

Yea periodically. Just because of evaporation.

[@KickAssets]

I would love to know what pump you used and it there a solar one on amazon i can buy. I'd like to do this for my mini pond/river in Japan.

[@vet137]

Good man good Dad too..thanks!

[@travisjantzer]

Thank you!

[@23Bentley45]

Do you have more video of step by step?

[@silviaherranz3613]

Hi, looks great! I´m not sure if it´s been asked but I was wondering if you needed to plug the pump into a socket or whether it was solar powered and understand a bit more info of the mechanics of making it a reality for my front yard! Cheers!

[@travisjantzer]

Thanks! This one is plugged into an outlet but there are solar pump options out there :)

[@jleigh31879]

So our issue is looking water and the ground around it being higher, creating a bog where our trashcan must be kept. Can we simply just dig until the ground around is lower for the runoff?

[@avamarie6278]

You're really good at these. Thanks!

[@delvalle298]

Absolutely amazing. You are very talente my friend. Beautiful.🤠💯👍God bless you and family.

[@travisjantzer]

Thank you kindly :)

[@hossiluc]

Well done 🎉

[@taffythegreat1986]

Simple and very natural looking, that’s what you want. I love the water feature, but I think I’ll keep mine for what’s it intended for 😂😂👍👍👍

[@travisjantzer]

Whats yours intended for? lol

[@taffythegreat1986]

@@travisjantzer carrying sand and cement😂

[@TombRaiderNum12004]

Hi, Travis! Thank you so much for this video; it's very informative. I have a question for you, if you have a moment. I want to replicate this design, but without the pond. I know I am going to need some sort of reservoir. Do you have any suggestions for how many gallons I would need for a design like this? Thank you so much.

[@travisjantzer]

the bigger the reservoir the better. water loss is inevitable with evaporation. But on a smaller feature 40-80 gallons is pretty good I think. It really depends.

[@81artmonk]

How did you figure out how deep the basins needed to be in order to have enough water to run the creek bed without it sucking it dry bringing it back up the return pipe to feed it?

[@travisjantzer]

the smaller the reservoir the more frequent it needs filled. this one was pretty small. So I had to top it off pretty regularly. other ones have been larger and more reliable.

[@SilverFoxDeux]

I'm new to your videos so apologies if you have what I'm asking readily available. Do you have a video showing the installation of the water lines and pump etc? I mean, how to connect the thingys with the things? Great video thank you!.

[@travisjantzer]

Yea I have a “how to hook up a pump video” as well as a longer “Pondless waterfalls 101” video where I cover things like that :)

[@DR-sd8cq]

@@travisjantzer much appreciated! Thank you!

[@garycannon3515]

you called the plastic that you down “pond liner” ; is that some special stuff just for putting down for a running lil creek? if so please give me that info. i just put in a beautiful creek in my front yrd and it has a leak at the lil pond at the end , where the water runs to. it has me totally bummed. it’s been a lot of work, but i want it to be rite when i’m done. lm in N. Calif. Thank you Gary Cannon

[@travisjantzer]

Essentially pond liners are just a thick plastic sheet but there are various different materials and thicknesses they can be made from. They are usually engineered to be difficult to puncture and nontoxic for wildlife. Leaks are tricky. Sometimes its just water flowing over the edge where you dont expect it. other times its a puncture or tear in the liner.

[@steeltoeboots9591]

I did a waterfall/pond at my old house due to the small yard. But now I have lots of yard gonna give this stream a whirl yours look great👍👍👍👍

[@travisjantzer]

That’s awesome! Best of luck, I’m sure it will look great 👍🏽

[@khinekhine613]

If we want to create long dry creek , can we just overlap the pond liner for a foot or so or how long did you overlap the liner edges?

[@travisjantzer]

dry creek bed for rain gutter runoff? yea the overlaps are most important if you're recirculating water. You dont want it to drain out. but if its a seasonal dry creek then yea you dont have to worry about leaks too much.

[@cdaemen8801]

Is there a solar pump you would advise?

[@travisjantzer]

I haven’t tried any solar pumps but I should!

[@travisjantzer]

I have now tried Solar pumps! I'm not sure the one I used is big enough for this project, but there are definitely options out there. If you're curious, I just posted the video about the ones I tried. I plan on making another video later with larger pumps.

[@cdaemen8801]

@@travisjantzer thankyou

[@paulakitchin3961]

I love all your videos. I have a question. How do I use water from a stream to run a water feature?

[@janicerouton8963]

Where do you get your water source? What are my options? I want it out in my woods, which is not near the house. Thanks, appreciated this video

[@travisjantzer]

I fill it with my garden hose and the water recirculates.

[@huynhcharlie]

Instead of the wheelbarrow at top, would it work if you used that square rain curtain feature? Or 2 separate pumps would be required?

[@travisjantzer]

That would work!

[@huynhcharlie]

@@travisjantzer awesome, and what size pump would you recommend? For a 3' square that trickles down a 10' creek?

[@huynhcharlie]

@@travisjantzer thank you!

[@DeriDiaz]

You're the man! Thank you this helps so much.

[@travisjantzer]

Glad it helped!

[@tylerareber]

Hey, love this video - it actually inspired me to try something similar. I'm close to being done with my stream but i'm losing water and so far can't find any leak to explain it. Curious if you have noticed any significant water loss in your stream(s) from purely evaporation, being that they're shallow and you've got water splashing up on rocks as it flows down through?

[@drtek1329]

Tough to grow any type of turf under that tree... Love that you have used the wheelbarrow as containment for Water lettuce...? What is "the board" you used for rippling?

[@travisjantzer]

Just a piece to raise up the liner so it was not one continuous flow but more of a river rapid.

[@bamagirl4234]

You helped me more than you know! Yes I can do this ! Peace& love to yall.

[@travisjantzer]

I’m glad! Thanks for watching!

[@DeadEyeDave]

What material/thickness of liner did you use? Did you find leaks where it was folded?

[@travisjantzer]

The thicker the better! I try and use at least 20ml. No leaks where its folded. Leaks (in my experience) are usually from animals getting nosy and poking holes, or from the dirt settling on the edges and the water flowing out over the side.

[@krickette5569]

Hi Travis. What pump did you use for this water feature?

[@ARmYofSixxTH]

he just had a water hose running lol

[@lisarothman7778]

what type of fish are in the pond

[@louiseleech6748]

Hello, what weight of stones / number of bags did you need? Thanks!

[@travisjantzer]

I don’t recall.. sorry. It really depends on the size of the project and every one is different

[@JourneyWithUs13]

❤wanna a feature with a nice water creek would be perfect to grow my 💧 watercress, and it looks good with the relaxing 😌 sound Vibes to just read a book or just bathe I the sun watching 👀 the ❤️ gardens bloom!

[@mattjones5175]

looks great! nice video

[@Toxins-cg6pk]

Can I put a paper boat down it

[@nicholascrawford2583]

Awesome built, curious what gph pump you used. You might have said in the video but I couldn't find it. Trying to build one soon was thinking an 8000gph?

[@kevlar1482]

Nope. 800.

[@katerinajungwirtova1651]

Hi, I've watched this video bunch of times haha. I'm getting ready to do water feature like this at our yard. I have gathered most of the stuff I need. Waiting for pump to come. I have couple of questions. First I'd like to ask about little more detailed info on how to connect it all. Going from pump through liner etc. I've been doing crazy reading on this cause I wanna make it right hopefully the first time. My plan is to have a little hill which I have created with dirt I dug up to create the reservoir, have a little waterfall that then goes to creek similar to yours. And I just keep wondering what is the best position for the pump, type of tubing I should use etc. I would appreciate any help 😁

[@travisjantzer]

Hi! I'll do my best to answer your questions in a comment, and I think I'll make a video about hooking up Pumps soon. You're not the first person to ask about it. If you haven't yet, I'd check out my "answering water feature questions" video. It was for a different fountain but at the end I demonstrate how to hook up a pump. On this creek I used 3/4" flexible PVC Pipe. Hooked it up to the pump with the Barb fittings the pump comes with, and ran it under ground to the top. The pipe never actually goes through the liner, just over the top. At the top the pip comes in from the uphill side so It doesn't push the liner down. You just have to make sure the edge of the liner isn't lower than the water level. Then I just hide the pipe with Rock or Plants. Honestly you can use just about any type of Pipe or Tubing you want as long as you have the right fittings to hook it up. You could probably use an old garden hose if you had a way to connect it. As for the pump itself, you want it in the deepest part of the reservoir. Its also smart to cover it with something to keep obstructions out. Just make sure you don't clog it with whatever you cover it with. Hopefully that helps!

[@katerinajungwirtova1651]

@@travisjantzer oh okay! I should of thought about running it up and just go over the top and the liner. That right there actually makes me life a lot easier cause I was looking up bunch of those connectors etc. And felt like I'm gonna have to spend so much more on this project 🤣 I feel like I did see some video where you mention how to connect the pump but couldn't find it so I'll look again. I do have a plan for the reservoir. I'll be using crates and old screen I have here. So hopefully that will work well. Also another question was about underlayment under the liner. I've been reading a lot about it. People not using anything, people using old carpet or just using weed barrier. Would just weed barrier do? I do have the little more expensive liner but I know we have rocks in the dirt and some old roots that should be all cut off but still can be found in the ground (we had an old tree that was cut down). And honestly the most important thank you thank you thank you. I've been wanting a waterfall for soo long but was kinda intimated by it and thought how expensive it would be and thanks to you video I know it is doable and affordable and it can do it so I'm actually doing it!

[@katerinajungwirtova1651]

@@travisjantzer actually to correct myself I originally wanted just a waterfall but we have this part of yard where no grass grows kinda like you so I decide to do a whole creek/stream water feature

[@rebimpskitzo8489]

Real nice, just what I came for, and not a bunch of extra fluff.

[@travisjantzer]

Thanks! If you're looking for extra fluff I have that too. but that wasnt the point of this video. Glad it was helpful :)

[@intuitivelyinsync6500]

Wow this is completely awesome and so creative 🔥🔥🔥

[@travisjantzer]

Glad you like it!

[@stanleymuktieh9849]

This is fantastic. What are materials needed? What about the flowing water, is it recycled?

[@travisjantzer]

Thanks! You'll need, a Pond Liner, a Pump (yes the water is recycled up from the bottom), and River Rock of various sizes. Soil dug up from the ditch can be used to shape the river and excess can cover the edge of the liner. Plants are optional and depend on the environment.

[@triplex7144]

I'm going to suggest raise the edges of the watercourse to prevent water inflow when it rains as this will introduce nutrients. With such a shallow run you may be susceptible to algae growth.

[@23Bentley45]

What inclination do you have?

[@coyoteserranoband]

Awesome man!! Might do this on my property!!

[@travisjantzer]

Do it!

[@coyoteserranoband]

@@travisjantzer thanks! I was gonna put my tiny house there but sold it! Checkout my vids! Much love!

[@lessismore5828]

Do small water features like this add much to your electricty bill (assuming you arent using a solar panel)?

[@travisjantzer]

Not too much. I haven’t really noticed it

[@ilsenooten]

Is this possible with a solarpump?? This is exactly what I was planning so thank you very much🙏🏻

[@travisjantzer]

I'm sure its possible with Solar, but I'm not sure which one..

[@ilsenooten]

@@travisjantzer I don't know, what kind of pump did you use? or is that in the description? Most pumps are also available (sorry for my english 🤫) in solar version.....up to at least 25w

[@russianarmy8976]

Thats just beatifull

[@travisjantzer]

thanks!

[@floridaboy6931]

Tight work!

[@Hawaiian_Hibiscus]

how do you afford to keep the hose running 24/7?

[@stubbsaquatics6080]

You are creative. Very impressive. I did mine too.